Way Too Unfamiliar
by I Play To Many Games
Summary: Neku has been the best friend of the ever popular Yoshiya Joshua Kiryu for a long time but has recently his closest companion has become the most distant of strangers. But what will happen to this pair when the known freak Shiki Misaki is added into the equation?
1. The toy that changed it all

**Disclaimer: I do not own The World Ends with You. Who the heck sues over this? The site is called Fan Fiction, of course I don't own the licenses for this name or else I'd have better marketing for a rerelease for a 3DS XL version. Which they should do, but you know.**

**Also while all three of you are reading the top of the page are paying attention I would like to explain a few things people get wrong almost all the time or don't notice in these fan fictions and the game. Neku's headphones are blue not purple, even if it looks like it. Neku is actually shorter than all of his partner, unless you include Shiki's real form then he's only shorter than the male partners, his hair makes him look taller and thinner than both of his Y-chromosome companions. Joshua was not an angle, kingdom hearts doesn't count because he's a shape shifter, not really sure exactly what he is. And am I the only one that notices that Mitsuki Konishi is a Gothic Lolita? I mean look at her. She evens shops at a store for gothic lolitas. I pay way too much attention to the game getting all those secret reports and I know I'm not the only one to notice this.**

**Warning: Alternate universe, OCCness, foul language, and the shipping. Oh the wonderful wonderful shipping.**

* * *

The classroom was scarce of students say for a fiery red head whose hair seemed to move in odd polar directions. His frail looking legs supporting a whitish face while a thin arm caresses his knees. Dull blue eyes are made even less noticeable by the artificial light of an outdated purple flip phone that is being held with great care. The faint sounds of random lyrics could be through oversized blue headphones that seem to look purple. The orbs glazes to the window left of him just in time to meet the last taste of the sun. He sighs returning his attention to the unchanged screen.

No new messages.

The AC in the building shuts off with a low humming noise as the burningly white LED lights went out. This would usually be a sign to leave school and head to the dorms for most students but he's is still waiting. He pulled slightly on the black blazer of the school uniform he's wearing to let cool air in but refuses to take it off. He believes that he would leave the area in a few moments anyways. Yet the teen has been thinking that for the last hour and a half.

_Beep, Beep!_

His finger impatiently presses the "read" button on his phone and his eyes quickly scan the screen. "Sorry, some upperclassmen wanted to talk to me and the conversation went a little longer than originally planned." He closes his phone and stands up with some strain due to sitting on the desk in that uncomfortable position for a good while. He slides the cheap plastic device in his pants pocket picking up his book bag, swinging it over his shoulder, as he walks to the front of the room. Not long after getting ready to leave did he hear the familiar eco of expensive name-brand sneakers tapping against the floor came into hearing distance.

The heavy wooden door opens reveling the awaited person; a boy with beautiful curly ashen locks and hauntingly inhuman purple eyes. The pale soft hand held the door open as the other hand grabs the boy's left wrist which donned a yellow wrist band, tightly as if the he'd run away. "Sorry to keep you waiting Neku." The newcomer apologized tugging softly on the arm. "Let's go."

"You could at least sound like you're sorry." Neku complains rubbing his eyes.

"I'm sorry I left you alone in the dark empty classroom, yearning for my arrival." The blond jokes, dramatically putting his free arm over his forehead. "Oh how could I ever leave my princess alone in that stuffy tower?"

"Josh. Now you sound like an ass." Neku complains forcing his hand to not bitch-slap him right there.

The taller teen turns his head back to face Neku and throws him a smirk. "That's not what the ladies say."

"Good thing I'm not them because they're bitchy fan-girls." Neku whips back attempting to pull his left hand out of the other.

"Oh Neku, jealousy is unbefitting of you."

"I'm not."

"Really now? I seem to remember a time in the fourth grade when a certain red head tried challenging me to Tin-Pin and los-"

Neku brings his large blue headphones over his head in an attempt to block out Joshua. The speaker turns his violet eyes back ahead of him, pouting, crossing an arm over his head. "I know that you'll tune back in at some point Neku."

As the two walk to their room Joshua told his tale about what made him late. Neku tunes out most of these conversations, because it's always the same story he wouldn't have to even be here if our hero just remembered his room key. Uhg! Why couldn't he just have a better memory? It's not like he sees his roommate as a bother (most of the time anyways) but anytime Joshua opens his mouth it tend to border on- "And then after their constant pleading I finally gave in and handed them a phone number never saying whose it actually was. It's not easy being this popular." -being completely conceited in the kindest words he could think of in Neku's opinion. As the blond continues to talk Neku decides to focus on the more interesting lyrics of the song he was currently listening to.

_"Crystals, blisters" _

_It's all over now _

_Psycho cane _

_You're so keen _

_I need more candy canes _

_"Cold cake, cold break" _

_Freak got a high kick _

_Mr. Twister _

_Moist with roistering _

_Stick it up _

_Take it up _

_Step aside and see the world _

_Effect has defects _

_"Take a bow to the moon (Bow-wow to the moon)" _

**Thump! **

"What the hell?!" Neku yelps as he is suddenly taken out of his thoughts by a soft object falling on his head. The pair stop walking to stare at the thing that took its comfortable spot on Neku's spiky hair. Neku uses his free hand to grab the foreign object. It was some large black pig plushie. "Where did this come from?" He asked, playfully moving it side to side.

"Well Neku. I think it fell from above seeing how it didn't hit you upside the head." The violet eye boy concludes putting his chin in his hand. "Josh I'm not a fucking moron. I know it came from up there." Neku groaned yanking his other hand away from Yoshida and pointing up.

"Well then you shouldn't ask questions you already know the answer to Nekky. Unless you just wanted to hear my wonderful voice."

Neku, ignoring the God awful statement his friend just made, turns his head up to look for the source of the stuff animal. It looks like it fell off the edge of one of the windows from the girl's dorm room. But which one? Oh well he'll just bring it to the lost and found tomorrow.

* * *

Neku works on his geometry homework mumbling the rules of 'Soh Cah Toa' to himself. "Opposite over hypotenuse, something adjacent to hypotenuse, and something over adjacent. Wait that's not completely right." He scratch the side of his head with the non-existent easer of his short worn out pencil. Foggy blue eyes lazily move towards the end of the room to his roommate, who is laid across his bed enjoying a very large French book, pissed that he is still doing homework at nine at night while Josh is reading his book. Damn smart people.

"Neku, I know you want to check me out but you're going to have to get in line." The ash blond notes with an annoyed tone pointing at himself for emphasis. "If you need help with Mr. Minamimoto's assignment you know you could just ask me."

The sapphire eye boy turned to the other room's occupant narrowing his eyes. "Josh I can do it myself."

"Well you aren't getting anywhere by repeating the same mistaken information." Joshua states in a snarky voice throwing his friend an award winning smirk.

"Will you just shut it? I don't want your damn help." Neku can feel a headache coming on.

He pouts and crosses his arms in a joking manner. "Aww. Well aren't we grumpy today. Do you need a break?"

Neku turns back to his paper for a second and decides that taking a break is the best option. Well in his mind at least because if he keeps this up he's never gonna pass the devil's geometry class. "Sure. Whatever."

The fair skin boy chuckles a bit, siting up right on the small comforter, putting down his lengthy book. "So what do you want to talk about?" he queries whirling a piece of his ash blond hair around with an uninterested expression on his face, clearly stuck in his own thought. Joshua's seemingly dead eyes stares at the red head as the room fills itself with an uncomfortable muteness. The pair look at each other for a while attempting to enjoy the company the other in the tiny square dorm. The ginger rubs his upper arm and quickly moves his misty blue eyes down, avoiding the accusing gaze of his companion.

"Well sorry I'm so boring to talk to." Neku grumbles, leaning back in his chair.

"You not boring to converse with Neku I was just asking a simple question." Joshua clarifies in a lifeless tone, keeping his face void of emotion.

"Hey Josh, are you okay?" The skeletal teen questions perceptive enough to his friend wasn't his usual witty self.

Mauve eyes gaze at the orangette, making Neku feel very uncomfortable, and sighs. "Thanks for the awareness that you care for my wellbeing but I'm fine. I just have something from my book has got me thinking."

An awkward pause washes over them as they contemplate what to say next. "So what are you reading?" the spiky teen asks breaking the silence.

"Oh just a book on the history of Marie Antoinette. Who is a very interesting woman by the way?" Joshua elaborates tapping his right hand on his book. "If I were ever in a position between a duty to my country or some Swedish pretty boy, I would defiantly chose to serve my country. Not attempt to do both at the same time. It's no wonder she was beheaded in 1793."

"Please don't let this be one of those freaking deep discussions that end up with you calling me a dork." Neku grunts bending his head over the chair. Clearly he doesn't want another lecture when he's talking to Joshua to get away from homework.

Joshua looks at his best friend in mock hurt. "Neku I would never call you a dork. That word out lived its relevance two years ago. Now a nerd on the other hand is another story." Jerk. "So what would you do Neku, be with the person you love or be loyal to a commitment you made?" he asked narrowing his eyes at the scrawny teen.

The red head looked up to his gaze and sighs. "Josh, this is stupid. When will I ever use that?" Now it was Joshua's turn to sigh.

"It's a rhetorical question Neku, you'll probably never use it. Now answer the question before my patience runs thin." He teases drumming in the air at every syllable. "Fine. I would honestly go be with the person I love." Neku responses in a "duh" attitude, hugging his knees back onto the chair. "Geez Nekky, I never knew you were so cheesy." The blond pronounces gleefully with a smirk stuck on his expression.

"Bastar"- _Beep! Beep!_

Joshua eagerly picked up his sleek orange phone and read the screen like it was some life changing message. Neku turns his desk chair completely around to fully face his best friend, wondering who called him this time. Joshua has so any people on his contact list that his phone would constantly be ringing, but he would only pick up the calls from people he actually wanted to talk to. What if it was one of the girls he was talking about earlier? No. No way. It's these thoughts that will shorten your life span. Not everyone who's romantically interested in Neku's only friend is out to hurt him.

Yoshida looks at his shaken friend as if he's reading the teen's mind. A smug look plasters itself comfortably on his face as his eye stare accusingly at the cerulean eyes. "Is someone jealous?" Joshua asked in a cutesy manner crawling towards Neku's desk on the bed. Neku glared back at him feeling a vain throb on his forehead. "In your dreams Josh." He spat out lowly.

His friend, not seeming convince, pokes Neku between the eyes and giggles at the adorable reaction he gives, rubbing his head appearing as though he is hurt even though he wasn't. "Heh heh, don't worry. It's just Sanae texting about something I said to him earlier."

"What about?" Neku query raising an eye brow. He doesn't believe it's anything serious but you can never be too sure.

"Oh, are you worrying about me again Neku? That's sweet of you dear, but it might be too much stress for me to put on you if I were to explain." Neku could now feel his already pale skin turn white. "Neku, I was joking. You have to learn how to take one once in a while." Joshua explained getting up to leave while the red head turns his chair to follow his movements.

"Hey wait a minute! Where the hell do you think you're going?" Joshua turn his head slightly back to meet the face of his interrogator, all amount of emotion disappearing from his face, and swings his Yin Blazer over his shoulder.

"Unless my eyes deceive me Neku, I believe I was about to head out the door."

"I know that you're leaving but it's after curfew." Neku points, out feeling suspicious of the other's antics. He rubs his left wrist anxiously; his eyes gazing the empty spot in front of him where his friend use to sit seconds ago.

"Just have to confirm something. I'll be back soon." He affirms Neku, who is clearly not buying it. "Oh and you got number seven wrong. The answer is two." And then Yoshida is gone.

Neku turns back to his desk checking his worksheet. "…Damn it he's right." Neku mutters reaching for his eraser. Now he needs to check all of his work again and he didn't even start his literature essay yet! This is going to take him all night.

* * *

The moon was at its peak in the sky pouring a luminous shine into the quant unlit room. Cerulean eyes stare out the usually fastened window to let the warm breeze blow onto his whitish face. In the distance he could see the shopping district where he spent most of his childhood. Closing his eyes the tired teen can hear the faint sounds cars making a large fuss over trivial matters and the crowd of the scramble crossing screaming into their phones, trying to out shout each other on the way to their destination. Even when into the long hours of the night Shibuya is still lively. The boy sighs dejected, remembering his nostalgic days.

"Why am I still in this shithole?" Neku thinks, resting his head on the palm of his head. "My grades stink, this school sucks, the people in this archenemy are stupid, and my roommate…"

_**Click**_

The red hair teen hears the lock of the thin oak door unlock causing him to quickly dive into the mid-night covers of the twin-size bed. Neku fells the hallway light on this face, pretending to be asleep, as the older teen enters the room in a hush manner. He listens to the soft taps of faint feet as they move toward the bed next to him, stopping at the side of the unsocial adolescent's mattress.

Neku can sense the blond in front of him knows that he was faking his state of slumber but chose not to revile it. But instead of an accusation he hears the slam of the closing window and the rustle of the feather comforter.

Neku bores his eyes at the back of the sleeping figure on the bed parallel to his own. Just staring, that's all he knows he could accomplish with his best friend now. Where did it all go wrong? When did they stop their long nightly conversation about their thoughts, talking like they knew the answer to each other's problems? Why does it feel like there's a stranger before him? Who is that in front of him because it's not the boy he knew? How can one know everything yet know absolutely nothing about a person at the same time?

A pale hand unconsciously reaches out for the slumbering blond, wanting to be closer to him, but the space between them is too far apart. The teen stays in that position for a gracious amount of time before letting the appendage fall and slamming into the side of the mattress with a thud. The messy red hair tangles uncomfortably against the pillow as he flips on his back sighing a loud sigh.

Now with heavy eyelids Neku faces the plain moonlight white wall of his side of the room. His cerulean orbs can faintly see the red glow digital clock on the desk at the foot of his bed blink two forty-two AM. Only a couple of ours till school starts again. With nothing to do he decides to attempts to gets some rest.

* * *

The endless path of cold tile slowly fills with the warm glow of the rising sun. A few bystanders loiter about the wide corridors like weeds killing the portrait a beautiful garden. The ginger walks slowly behind the slender boy in front of him as the window summons his smoky blue orbs to its world. The crack light peaks trough the what was once night sky making this the last peaceful moment he could enjoy alone before the morning bells of the chapel toll to deaf ears absorbing lyrical nonsense from indigo cups.

The urban city landscape spreads as far as the eye can see as its citizens run across its surface with too many little worries. He always found it so odd that the crowded streets of Shibuya were only filled with shallow people and though who never stop and look at their surroundings.

"Neku, are you coming?" A musical voice asks narrowing rare amethyst eyes in the onlooker's direction. The red head turns words his friend in slight surprise, not noticing that he had halted his movements.

"Yeah." Neku responds unconsciously with his mouth stuck in a straight line. He trots up towards Joshua, gripping the black pig tightly in his thin arm. The two continue their journey down the halls of the facility which was constantly losing its calming darkness. Burning bright glass turns on with the familiar low hum while the pair makes their way up the white spiraling steps. A thin pale arm cover dull eyes that were unfortunate enough to have been looking at the LED bulbs when it lite the room.

A black school blazer was thrown on the head of the orangette from the slightly taller figure above. Neku holds the jacket above his face causing a comforting shadow to be spread across the pained orbs. The ginger bites his bottom lip, frowning his brow, aware of its owner.

"You should know better than to stare at the lights when they come on." The now jacket-less blond comments with his soft hand still in the thrown position.

"Thanks." He says pulling the lightweight fabric forward, giving the sign for the two to keep walking.

As the friends reach towards their destination the plushie holding teen caught he sight of a small group of adolescents in trendy attire beside the dark wooden door. Their faces morph into what Neku would claim to be psychotic grins and runs to Joshua, speaking to him about subjects the red head would never understand.

"Yoshiya-san good morning!" Did you watch that drama I was talking about yesterday?" A pink haired female squeals tugging on the boy's white button up shirt. She flaunts her erogenous body towards the flawless male, hugging his upper arm against her wanton chest.

"No Eri I did not. I'm afraid I had other manners to attend to." Joshua expounds with a charming grin, yet Neku could perceive the sincere fakeness of the blonde's expression.

The females pouts sighing. "That's what you say every time, what in the world is taking up you're time?" she asks early pulling the teen into the classroom with the rest of the people following them in. Joshua glances at his best friend but didn't open his mouth at the sulking shade of cerulean that over took the two stones.

Alone again. The isolation relaxes itself around the unhealthily pale teenage boy like an old lover that you can never rid yourself of no matter how much it pains them both. With no others present in the halls Neku slides the blazer off his head and gently wraps the stuffed animal in it as if it were a small child. He inhales a deep breath of musty indoor air before taking his first steps in the schoolroom.

But he never got there. A terrifyingly piercing cry stops his ungraceful movements. "Waaaaaiiiiit! Mr. Mew could be in there!"

The wail echoes off the tall walls from the end of the hall. Neku removes his headphones and faces right, boring his eyes into the farthest corner of the dark abyss. With no one insight the teen turns back to the closed door to complete his initial quest.

"Someone PLEASE stop him!" The feminine voice screeches again, this time sounding more desperate.

With now peaked curiosity Neku starts to head in the direction of the shouts. As the teenager gets closer to the sound of the desperate screams he notices that no one else is going to the call of the screeches and cries. You would think that more people would be incline go rushing into action at the call of some damsel in distress, but then again it's not like Neku is in any hurry to see the situation so he can't blame everyone who decides to wait in their classroom awaiting the harsh chimes of the morning bells.

Neku reaches the foot of the second floor stairs, finding two figures fight over a silver trashcan at the top. A teenage girl with bland muddy eyes in a harsh scowl pulling the tin can back with the steep flight of stairs behind her. Her opponent was one of the schools hall monitors, Reapers as the institute likes to call them, a lanky upper classman in a red hoodie covering most of his face and his back against the heavy metal door.

"Here! Take it you crazy bitch!" the boy shout panics letting go of the trash can. Neku looks at the scene in front of him knowing all too well how this could turn out if no one saves her. If he moves out of the way she gets a fatal injury injured. If he doesn't then they both get minor damage done to them. The girl is about to tumble backwards when Neku decide to make his choice.

Not my problem.

He steps to the side with avoiding the situation in mind when the girls appears right in front of him. The ginger jumps backwards wondering how the brunette accomplished the feat of not falling. She stares intensely into Neku's shocked face, gripping both of his shoulders with her sharp nails.

"Um… E-excuse me?" she asks in a polite manor in a stunning contrast to her demeanor. "C-can you tell- What's in that jacket your holding?"

Blue eyes look down at the plush laying comfortably in his skinny arms. "A stuffed pig." He states bluntly, shoving it in her face to get her out of his personal bubble.

"MR. MEW!" the school girl squeals in what Neku will assume is delight as she tackles the stuffed animal out of his grip and onto the tile floor. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! I wouldn't what I would do without him!"

'Okay, this chick is officially insane.' Our protagonist concludes backing away slowly in hopes of getting back to class.

* * *

Insipid hands hold an old paint brush over the blank canvas and decorates its surface with a vibrant green. As Neku transfers the image form his mind onto the canvas the music from his indigo headsets blast into his ears, leaving him in his own diminutive realm. The picture of a grassy field pours itself onto the white field when a sudden genial tap to the shoulder pulls him away from the short moment he had to himself.

The artistic teen faces to the left of him to encounter his art teacher. "How's it going Phones?" The bearded man greets with one hand in his pocket.

"Hey Mr. Hanekoma. I'm fine." Neku responses turning back to his work.

"You know kid, I'm not one to criticize an artist's vision but I'm not really sure about this." The black haired man states taking a looking closer at the canvas. "I specifically remember saying the theme for this project was cities, not beautiful green meadows."

Neku pushes his headphones back around his neck, putting the shabby brush down in the cup of dirty water, and turns to the adult. "I just started. It'll make more sense when I'm done." He elaborates.

"Okay, okay I believe ya." Mr. H defends casually.

The teen moves back to his original position when he remembers last night. "Hey Mr. H, what did Joshua talk to you about yesterday?"

"Whoa there Phones." Mr. Hanekoma says raising a hand to like he was going to stop something. "I can't go around telling people about J's private life. If I did I'd have to deal with some pretty weird people every day."

"Oh. Okay." Neku sighs dejectedly looking down at the floor. An uneasy feeling washes over the youth feeling as Joshua is hiding things from him. Not that this is anything new. They're always not telling each other thing so what would make this time any different.

"So he really didn't say anything to ya?" Mr. Hanekoma questions with a laid back expression, sipping a cup of fresh coffee that was on his desk.

"No." the boy confesses placing his hands on the earpieces of the headphones. "He usually doesn't."

* * *

**Well that's all or now folk! I will continue this but I have the slowest typing skills in the world and I would like creative criticism instead of just insults but you know. first work and all so I can't be picky. **


	2. Enter the First Obstacle!

**Author's note: Meh. Chapter two is out finally and my brain is now empty. Its summer in America and no sane teenager wants to think properly. I would also like to thank readers for taking the time to read story. That's all.**

* * *

The red haired teen curls his feeble legs to his chest while hiding under the cover of shinning metal bleachers. Part of his pale shoulder was already turning an unhealthy scarlet from being in the blistering summer sun for a short moment. His headphones lay on the far corner of the bench next to a tan blond man staring at Neku like a criminal caught committing murder.

"Neku, stop being all pouty and exercise." An ashen hair teenager says kneeling down to the hidden boy's level.

"No way in hell Josh." He replies sticking his middle finger up at his friend.

Neku is not a jolly fellow right now. It's not that he hates exercise, no no no that's not the problem at all, it's that the God damn sun has it out for him. People are always saying that outdoor physical education is good for you because you have the wonderful fresh air and it's healthy or shit like that but clearly those people have never met a ginger in their life! They don't have normal flesh, they have this weird flammable paper like material that is vaguely shin color! Normal humans get tan then get burnt yet red heads are set on freaking fire. And don't even suggest sunscreen because whatever all-knowing being is up there decided to create ginger-kind with an immunity to anything that can save them.

"Well unless you want Coach Sota to keep your headphones forever you better start running." Joshua points out poking Neku in between the eyes repeatedly.

Slapping his hand away he slides out under the bleachers and runs onto the track. Neku has no reason to wait for his violet eyed best friend, he has other people to hang around and be an ass to. Joshua has tried to get them acquainted with each other before but let's just say people just aren't his thing.

* * *

The older teen pulls his uninterested friend towards a few people, carefully avoiding the left arm.

"Josh this is fucking stupid. Who needs friends?" The uninterested boy groans, digging the heels of his purple sneakers into the concrete of his deceivingly strong best friend.

"Oh come on Neku, Only by alowing strangers in, we can find new way to be ourselves." Joshua preaches as he stops in front of their destination.

"I hope you know saying gets more annoying every time you say it."

"Eri, Raimu, Daisukenojo this is my good friend Neku Sakuraba." Yoshiya announces, gesturing is hands towards the blue eye boy who was detracted buy the newly bloomed Sakura trees in front of the school.

"Hey what's up?"

"Dang it Prissy, I told ya to call me Beat!"

"Hello nice to meet you."

The group greet simultaneously. The frail teen held his yellow banded hand against the cup of his headset as he glanced to the colorful group of people he was dragged to meet. To their credit they didn't seem like a bad bunch. The pink haired girl seem to show more clothing than anyone should be comfortable with in an educational environment but she didn't seem like a bitch. Or the short blond girl who was probably the only one in the area to where the girl's sailor styled school uniform properly if you excused the black beanie. Also it was nice to see that Joshua has other male companions even though they happen to look like the type who would knock the books out of a nerds hands so they won't feel bad for not being able to read.

"Whatever." Neku sighs looking back to the far more interesting trees.

Then again the three never expected him to be antisocial as a rock floating in the middle of the ocean.

The purple iris teen crosses his long arms and narrows his eyes disapprovingly at his close friend. "Neku, would it kill you to be a bit kinder to new company? Try opening up for once."

"Yes. Yes it would." The red head spits, sharply turning his head towards him with a scowl on his face. "It would kill me slowly and painfully. By the time I am recovered by the cops they won't even recognize me as a human being."

"Like they would any other time." The soft haired male quips twirling his curly and leaning into Neku's personal space. Now one ever seems to mind his personal bubble.

"Low blow Josh." The teen growls, turning his body to completely face his companion.

"I apologize dear, you just make it too easy." Joshua mocks patting the spiky teen on the head with that infuriating smirk on his face.

Neku pushes the hand away and smiles leaning in closer till their faces where almost touching. "Like you?"

"Now who's delivering the low blows?" The blond frowns placing one arm across his chest and the other on his chin as if he was contemplating something.

"You in a cheap motel." retorts back to the pale nearly emaciated teen, who is now repeatedly poking in between the others eyes.

Joshua grabs Neku's yellow banded wrist and is not amused. "One: it would so be a five star resort. And two: you did not just go there."

"Oh I'm afraid I did Kiryu. I just went there and made it back to tell the tale." The teen reply using his free hand to pull down the blue headphones.

"Do my little ears deceive me? Is that a challenge I hear?" Yoshiya questions cupping his ear to hear his friend to hear him better. "Because if it is then I accept."

"That wasn't the call of a challenge. It was the sound of me winning it."

In their trivial battle of egotism neither teen heard the little blond girl asking if they were going to stop the flirting and make out. Nor did they hear the sound of the three pairs of feet walking away after ten minutes of bickering. And later they would wish that they paid attention to the morning bells on their first day of high school instead of snarky remarks on the other's hair.

Neku never talked to those people again but it didn't matter because he believed thing where fine the way they were. All the world needs is him and people just don't get that. Or at least he thought.

* * *

"Hey you!" A female shouts from behind him when he reaches the curve on the tar track this snapping him out of his flash back.

Turning around he sees the glasses girl with dark brown hair from this morning. She's appears to be tiredly running towards him, waving a black blazer frantically in the air.

"Y-y-y-yo-you foooorgot thhhissss..." She wheezes stretching her hand out to show Joshua's school blazer before she gets acquainted with the ground for the second time that day.

Neku kneels down to pick up the jacket then staring at the probably dead girl lying flat on the track. He starts to wonder when she entered his class since even he couldn't miss someone this weird in his class but drops the train of thought when he stops caring. Since the short haired youth went through all that trouble to return this jacket so he might as well ask if she's okay.

"You dead yet?" Then again Neku has never been a man of reassuring words. He throws the jacket back on her head to reproduce the look of a recently deceased body.

"Anm mouw pweeez hep me ump?" She begs with her face still smooching the pavement.

Sighing, the boy pulls her up with great difficulty seeing as she is not the skinniest person on the planet. A couple classmates running by were laughing at them as he hauls the girl up. Once up the girl bows at him multiple times before standing straight up reviling a freshly battered face.

"Thank you." She breaths out as she bleeds heavily from her bruised nose. "I'm Shiki Misaki, it's nice to finally talk to you."

"Uh...Neku Sakuraba. You got some blood on your face." The sapphire eye boy bluntly points out while roughly whipping her face with the sleeve of his friend's jacket. It's not that he wants to stay there helping the girl more but that accursed social contract is making him help. Then again he wanted to torcher Joshua with a blood stained blazer.

"Oh no your jacket!" The frail floor loving girl cries clutching the piece of cloth in her hands, "I can't let you ruin good fabric with my blood."

"It's fine. The damn thing is not even mine it's Josh's." Neku explains putting his hands in his PE shorts.

Shiki stares at the black blazer horrified at herself with the nearly visible blood stain and screams, "KIRYU-SAMA'S JACKET!?"

"Sama?" The taller teen questions raising an eyebrow at her. He contemplates when Joshua deserved the title of "sama" knowing that his friend is only the master of witty comebacks and the quick clearing of conditioner bottles.

"You used his jacket to clean my blood! I could have sold this to some girl for so much if I knew this was his and now it's has blood on it!" She complains using her delicate hands to examine the damage done to the blazer.

Wait a minute. What?

Neku stares at Shiki in shock at what she just confessed. He knew his friend was "popular with the ladies" as Joshua likes to call it, or "popular as the ladies" as Neku calls it, but this is too much. Suddenly that state of shock was replaced by a smile beaming joy as he burst out laughing at the thought of some messed up drug dealing with Yoshida's clothing.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Oh God it-ha ha-i-it hurts!" He howls holding his stomach and tears staining the edge of his blue eyes.

"Stop laughing! You just cost me two thousand yen!" Shiki yells shaking the jacket in her fists. She didn't know what was so hilarious about the fact her losing equivalent of twenty American dollars but as she stares on at the red haired boy who was practically paralyzed of laughter she starts to be dragged into the mirth herself.

The two engulf themselves in their guffawing for a long while ignoring the odd stares and the threatening glare Coach Sota was giving them for not running their laps. They also didn't notice the small group of teens that have completely stop running look on in disbelief at the red head tearing up full of mirth.

"Misaki! Sakuraba! What in the world are you two doing?" The tan man asks marching up to them. He stops in his tracks when he sees Shiki's bloody beaten nose. "Sakuraba! Why haven't you taken this young lady to Nurse Nao Nao?! What kind of man are you?"

"One who's laughing his ass off." He replies to the furious teacher knowing full well he's going to end up in a ditch somewhere announced missing but right now he didn't care.

(Line)

"I can't believe you dragged me into this." Joshua grunts leaning on the large window of the school infirmary. "Why the hell did you two say it was my fault?"

"Stop your bitching Josh. You're not the one that has to stay here." Neku says watching the dark skin nurse treat Shiki's beat up face. Nurse Nao skillfully avoids cutting the school girl with her sharp pink nails as she puts on the last bandage.

"You are like really lucky." She explains handing the brunette a lollipop from her small white desk. "I'm like really surprised your nose isn't broken from falling."

The nurse puts the first aid box up on the shelf above her bureau and turns back to the three. "You guy have like ten minutes left of class so like... You can stay here until then. Help your selves to the candy."

Then the yellow hair nurse left the room, stretching her hands above her hands and yawning. Where in the world was she going? There are perfectly decent beds in the infirmary to use.

"Soooo…" Shiki blurts out pointing a lollipop at the dull blue eye boy in an attept to break to silence, "do you want a lollipop too?"

"No." Neku response quickly backing away from it as if someone was threatening him with a loaded gun.

"Let's just say Nekky here has problems with harmless pieces of rock candy on a stick." Joshua teases holding Neku in a childlike embrace and pats him on the head softly.

"Damn it Josh, Stop that!" The spiky ginger yelps pushing away the older male like the plague.

"Wow Neku. You must really hate Halloween." The bruised face female state in amusement.

"Neku?" Joshua narrows his eyes at the girl, crossing his arms disapprovingly. "Misaki-san, isn't that too informal seeing as you two just got acquainted with each other today."

"Sorry! I wasn't paying attention." She gasps covering her wide mouth with her hands.

"I don't care." He states placing his headphones over his ears then tossing himself on the bed next to Shiki. While he's getting comfortable Neku points at his flaxen haired friend as he closes his eyes. "Josh stop being a formal prick about these things."

"Well excuse me for trying to keep it classy." Yoshiya huffs excusing himself out of the room saying something about forgetting his bag.

"Kiryu-sama seems to kind of hate me." The dark chocolate colored hair female sighs hanging her head down dejectedly.

"Seriously, why are you calling him 'sama'?" Neku groans out of disgust for the sickening name. The boy was already narcissistic enough.

"Don't you remember what he said at the beginning of the school year during introductions?" She questions sitting properly in the plastic chair.

"Look, I don't listen to the fucking introductions." The boy states putting his hand under his head to create a make-shift pillow. "All people ever say is their name and a hobby. There's nothing interesting to hear."

"Well that's not true. When Kiryu-sama had to introduce himself he proclaimed 'If you're not my friend then you mustn't address me like one. To the rest of you simpletons shall refer to me as Kiryu-sama or else." Shiki reiterates with her nose in the air and a proud smirk on her face trying to impersonate Joshua.

"Or else what? He starts bitching about it? That's pretty threatening to me." Neku responses monotony.

"Well his family is pretty rich so what if he got rid of us or something with all that power!" The girl screeches flailing her arms, hitting random objects around her including Neku.

"Shiki…" The tired teen growls bopping her on the bruised nose. "That's stupid."

Rubbing her nose with the palm of her hands, most likely making it worse, while glaring at him. "You don't know that."

"That kind of crap only happens in dramas and lame shojo anime." the red head states turning to this side and opens his eyes to look at the assumed otaku

"Wait you mean dramas aren't realistic?" Scratch that. The certain otaku.

"Yeah Shiki. Teen dramas are the most realistic thing in the world." Neku says in the most cynical tone he can possibly muster. "Because we all know that the _KEY_ for a rich guy to get a girl he's hot and bothered for is to be complete trash to her."

"That's because he's misunderstood and sheltered." The brunette whines, pouting her lower lip out and glaring at the orangette on her left, as she nervously fiddles with the red bow on her uniform.

"Right, of course he is. So is every fabulously wealthy guy in those shitty shows." The male rejoinders waving his banded arm in the air for emphasis.

"Hey, they must be doing something right if people keep watching them." Shiki shrugs in defeat and decides to reach in her bag for the black plushie. She holds the animal up in front of her face, moving its hands as if the plushie was talking to Neku.

"I forgot to properly thank you for finding me." She cheers changing her voice two octaves lower.

"Whatever." The savor sighs lightly punching the stuffed animal's plush stomach in Shiki's face. "Next time don't set your pig near your open window."

"He's a CAT!" the girl yells whacking Neku on the head with Mr. Mew. "I've was looking in every trash can for the little guy."

Neku takes the tattered animal from his aggressor, holding it up in curiosity. He really didn't need to ask why but his pale scrunch up expression was asking the question. Shiki sighs hanging her head low refusing to let the conversation goes on. The few minutes left in utter silence.

* * *

Neku drags his feet along the waxed tiles, his headphone blaring loud music and bag gathering dust from the floor, awaiting the growling in his stomach to subside. His light hair friend strides next to him with a packed lunch in his right hand.

"You know Neku, you wouldn't be so hungry if you just ate breakfast once in a while."

"What are you my mother?

"Do I have bright pink hair?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if you did."

He moves inside what would have been a spacious lunchroom, if not for the colorful crowd of shouting people trying to out yell each other, and towards the lengthy line near the counter. The flaxen hair teen follows Neku to the trail to student, pretending not to notice the hot stares he is currently gathering from civilians around him.

"Don't you have another table to get to?" The red-head sighs monotones shoving his hands into his black pants pockets.

"What? Tired of me already Neku?"

"No but you packed your lunch. You should be over there."

"Aww, but we haven't spent any quality time together lately. I miss you." The attractive teen pouts attempting to sound like a kicked puppy.

"Josh that is the creepiest thing I've ever heard you say-" Neku was about to turn up the volume in his headset and continue walking to in the line to order lunch when a memorable black tail catches his eyes. A familiar brunette walks towards an isolated lunch table cheerfully, blissfully ignoring the giggles and sneers she got from the girls around her. She hugs the stuff cat tightly against her chest in her right arm and carries a packed lunch in her left, not meeting the glares.

"Hey Shiki, I heard you've been dumpster diving. Finally hit rock bottom?"

"Did Eri get some common sense and leave you?"

"What is she even doing here? She's so weird."

"Neku, what are you looking at?" Joshua asks, narrowing his amethyst eyes at the red-head, wanting to know the reason for his hypnotized silence.

Neku want to look the other way, ignore the stranger he's been seeing much of today, and erase her being from the existence to his mind but something broke in him seeing the brunet like this. There are so many people he's ignored before and will ignore in the future. He grips his yellow wristband, frowning slightly at the familiar sting, and turns to his disapproving only friend and does something Joshua has been telling him to do since the day they met.

Neke raises his thin arm and calls her over to join him much to Joshua's dismay but little did the pair know that small action will change their friendship forever.

* * *

**Nooooo! Josh don't be a Shiki hater! Then again one of my best friends hate her but oh well. ****Anyways I am a terrible human being who loves cliffhangers. Sorry. **Review comment and criticize to your heart's content.


	3. Well that just happened

**It's one AM and I'm tired and finished. Here you go. Review and stuff.**

* * *

"Hey Josh?" The teenager asks to his departing friend heading out.

Joshua freezes in place with his hand resting on the silver nob of the oak door. The blond turns his entire body towards this friend on the blue sheet with an eyebrow raised, one the white hand still on the handle. "How can I help you?" His voice asks with the natural diction in it to make Yoshiya sound like a smarmy ass.

Neku looks up at his friend, meeting those hauntingly beautiful lavender orbs, making his hideously scratchy voice spontaneously stuck in his throat. "It's late." He says stupidly, mentally punching himself for the comment.

"Yes, it would appear that it is late. Would you care to elaborate more or just state the obvious?" Joshua teases with that God forsaken smirk on his flawless face and flipping a lock of soft hair out of his sight.

"Damn it Josh, that's not what I mean!" Neku spits, digging his ragged nails furiously into the foot of the bed frame. "Why in the world are you going out after curfew looking like that?!" He points his accusing finger at the teen in front of him wearing a Tweed Gentlemen suit from Pegaso , which is already weird seeing that he's going to own Gatio, instead of some Pj's and socks.

Joshua curls the tips of his smooth lips upward seeming to Neku as if he was going to say something discriminating, which he so promptly does. "Am I not hot enough for you Ne-ku?" He hums seductively, leaning closer to his indigo pajama friend, causing the ginger to fall backwards from his upright sitting position. "What do you prefer I wear then hmm?"

"AARRHHGG! Why are you such an asshole?!" Neku yells as he throws a worn pillow with his boney arm in the direction go the giggling figure's face. He swears that giggle can give children nightmares. No sane man can laugh like that unless they were from Hell.

Catching the pillow, the ashen haired teen walks to his lying down friend then smothers his face lightly with the pillow. "Who, me?"

"YESHHH. YUMMPH." He enunciates, his hand clutching the sides of the cushion, attempting to pry it off in a panic.

"Who? I'm afraid I can't understand you." He hears Joshua tease through the paper thin pillow as more pressure is applied. Neku, fed up with the charade, kicks the blond below the belt causing the now yelping teen to fall forward on the bed in pain.

"Nekky~." He groans as he weakly uses his elbow to sit up while his knees still stay on the carpet. "That was a cheap move. It's not like I was going to really smother you with that pillow. The thing is so old I doubt that I could if I even tried."

Neku humphs at the insult of his pillow and rightly smacks him over the head with it. "Ow! Do you always have to use violence when I'm right?"

"My pillow is only a few years old. Besides if I got a new pillow every month then I'd have no money for food." Neku scoffs as he genially places the pillow correctly back on the mattress.

"Whatever makes you feel better but I personally love a well feathered pillow to support my neck. "Josh shrugs as he heads towards the doors once more. "Oh and before I forget-" he starts when he opens the door. "Don't wait up for me this time."

"Bastard." Neku grumbles under his breath glaring at the blond.

"Funny how you're the one calling me that." Joshua squeezes out last second before heading out the door.

The teen flops down on the bed pulling his thin blanket over his body, not caring to turn off the room lights and closes his eyes tightly. Suddenly Neku opens his blue orbs and sits straight up in realization before shouting to himself, "He never answered my question!"

* * *

"Neku..." A distant sounding voice whispers, causing the resting teen to stir in his slumber. Neku swats in its direction, signaling it to let him rest. He hears the thing sigh for a moment before hearing it walk away.

Thinking that he can have more sleep the red head snuggles in his blanket and relaxes his shivering body. Wait a minute...shivering? Why is it so cold in here? Oh well. This is not the time to worry about such minor detail, time for bed. "Neku... Did you forget to set up your alarm clock?"

"Fuck off." He grumbles to the sound, covering his ears with the sheet. Once again he hears the person sigh but this time it sounds more irritated. Neku feels something shake him against his tiled bed, seeming determined to piss him off. Tiled bed? When the fuck did that happen. Must be too drowsy to think straight.

"Well if that's how you want to be then fine with me." It coos, sounding to Neku that it have given up. Contrary to this belief of slumbering solitude the frail teen suddenly feel a lot of extra weight being slammed on him. He removes the cover and peeks one eye open to examine the problem.

He's on the kitchen floor, right next to an open fridge, with his roommate laying his back right on top of his body checking his nails in a bored manner. "Yoshiya Joshua Kiryu!" The blond turns around casually, as if nothing he's doing is weird in the slightest, and rolls his eyes, "Ooooohh my full name. I'm soo scared."

"Why the HELL are you doing this to me!?" Neku roars in his friends face, causing some spit to land on his face. Joshua wipes the saliva off with a white handkerchief from his school pants and exhales, shaking his head. "I'm not doing anything to you. You're the one that refuses to wake up." The older teen lazily rolls off his companion, still remaining on the floor. "If you didn't get up any sooner then I would've taken you precious headphones too."

At this Neku sits up straight and glares at Joshua menacingly. "Don't you even dare! Those are CAT headphones!"

"So what? I keep telling you that's it's unhealthy to value objects over human life just because they're related to CAT. I'd be doing you a favor by taking that blasted thing away." The blond argues as he twirls a lock of hair around his finger to hide the peeved tone in his voice.

"Just shut up! You just jealous that CAT is more epic than you." Neku retorts, leaning over his friend with a snide smirk.

"Me? Jealous? Of CAT?" He gags at the accusation. "In your dreams!"

"Well in my dreams CAT is the coolest person ever." The red head states getting up for school.

"Oh? And who is the coolest person in real life my little fan boy?" Joshua ask as he bops Neku on the nose, his snarky tone seeming to already know the answer.

Well this was a no brainer but he might as well pretend that he was thinking about it. Neku plays with the front spike on his hair, an un-subconscious action he always does when thinking, before confidently answering, "Mr. H."

"Sanae!" Joshua raises his voice in shock. Clearly wasn't the answer he was expecting. "Why the fuck do you pick him of all people?"

"Well he owns his own cafe-"

"That's mostly empty."

"He's an awesome art teacher-"

"Anyone can draw. He's not special."

"He's the only one that can deal with you smarmy attitude-"

"So can you."

"And he like CAT unlike you who disagrees with my opinion all the damn time."

The purple eyed male huffs at the comment, appearing to Neku as if he's won this argument for once in his life, before a Cheshire grin spears on his face. "Speaking of time Nekky..." Blue eyes widen at the sudden conniving change in tone, feeling a shiver run down his spine. Joshua pull up his white button shirt sleeve to revile his silver watch to Neku, showing the teen it's a quarter to seven. He bolts to the bathroom with one thought in mind. "I fucking get it I'm going!"

* * *

The sky once again changes hues from dark black to burning orange once more with the coming of a new day. As the roommates walk to math early as usual. Neku never really knew why the duo left for class with so much time left. It's not that they're excited to learn geometry _and _it's certainly not because they like the teacher. Joshua just decided one day in their first year that they have to get to homeroom before the morning rush. To be fairly honest, he thinks the blond was secretly avoiding their small room because he was trying to hide his newly developed claustrophobia. No loud crowds or frequents visits to the city for them, with was completely fine with the antisocial teenager.

Unfortunately he convinced his friends to wake up at this ungodly hour of the morning with him. The weird pink haired chick who needs to come with a censor bar with the way she's wearing her uniform short and open, a preschooler, and the thug just standing in front of the classroom waiting for Yoshiya seeming fully rejuvenated. Fucking weirdos.

"Yoshiya-san!" Well there goes Neku ear drums. Again.

The long haired girl takes her place on the blonde's right arm and leads him into the classroom with the other two following. Neku himself was about to enter the nearly empty room when he heard a familiar muffled cry. Swinging his head to the left his deep dirty ocean eyes catch the sight of a trashcan with naked legs sticking out of it. Neku walks over to the metal bin and kicks it with the side of his sneaker hard.

"Ow!"

"Shiki, how are you hurt? I hit the trashcan, not your face." He asks seeming unfazed by the fact he's starting a conversation with a man-eating trash bin.

"Neku! Oh thank goodness! Can you get me out of here?" It asks kicking its legs back and forth, almost smacking the boy in the face.

Grabbing the sandaled foot to signal her to stop, Neku asks monotone, "How did you even get stuck in there?"

He hears a muffled groan from the aluminum cylinder. "I'll tell you when I get out. But can you please help stop the blood rushing into my brain?"

Neku, taking her orders, roughly kick down the trashcan causing a loud bang and a likely bruised brunette. The girl crawls out of the trap, glaring at the red head annoyingly. "You could have just pulled me out you know!" She lectures him as she shakes the pi- cat at him, some litter falling off her.

"Well I didn't want to stare at your panties." The states unemotionally. "So are you going to explain your compulsion to trashcans? You seem pretty attached to them."

She frowns with tears pricking the ducts of her eyes and looks down, trying to hide it. "It's not my fault. They always try to throw him away." Her voice quivers, almost breaking.

"Huh?"

"Mr. Mew! Those jerks always make fun of me for carrying a stuffed animal in high school and throw him in some trashcan everyday like I'm some freak." She sobbing fully now and is starting to attract attention from the school's Reapers, something Neku most defiantly doesn't want. Wallflower is fine thank you!

"Look, I'm not gonna comfort you or anything seeing as I barley know you," actually if he did know her well he still wouldn't comfort her, "but fuck them!"

"What!?" Shiki yells, clearly taking that the wrong way, her face turning crimson

It takes a few seconds for him to understand her reaction. "Wait, no! Not like that. I mean stop caring. Caring too much about shit leads to feeling like shit and emo thoughts." He explains freaking out with his hands clutching his head. This girl is starting to become contagious. "If you just realize that they have nothing better to do than pick on childish classmate you'll know that your being stupid."

The girl sniffles and rubs the tears out of her eyes, "If only it were that easy." She wines scraping some wrappers off her uniform. "They don't pick on you. You don't know how it feels."

"You're right." Neku states stern, she comment hitting closer to home then he would like to admit, "I don't know how you feel and to be honest I never want to."

"W-what-"

"Why the fuck are you questioning me? You should be glad you're right about me not understanding." He growls at tear streaked brunette. "They don't pick on me because I stopped giving a shit. There's nothing they can say that's worse then what you can come up with your damn self."

"But it hurts. Physically hurts." She tells him, her face filled with more astonishment than sorrow. "Even if I ignore them they hurt me."

"Where do you think we are? A dark narrow alley of Shibuya in the middle of the night. We're in God damn high school. They can't do anything worse than what they already have and you still look alive."

"I'm sick of it! You've never been grown in a trashcan." She shouts throwing a banana peel on the ground.

"I've suffered worse. I have been hanged by my feet and left there alone." He retorts, enjoying he lack of an answer. "You get over that shit."

"Why are you telling me this now and not yesterday? You said nothing yesterday at lunch." Shiki whispers under her breath and hangs her head low.

"I didn't think I needed to explain the obvious to you. Your thick glasses make you look smarter than you are." He joke with a small laugh at a memory that struggles to resurface.

Her brown eyes stare at the reminiscing cerulean and says the oddest think Neku will ever hear. "You know. You kinda look like an uke when you smile a bit."

"A what?" Neku questions in a daze, reeling from the emotional backlash that just took place in front of him. Something in his gut was advising him that it was for the best if he never found out.

The girl looks at him with a devious look, reminding him of a certain someone, before putting back on her normal face. "It means a really cute person." The red head had a feeling it doesn't really mean that.

"I'm not cute." He says raising his thin hand to pick up a sticky soda can on her tiered using his left hand to pinch is nose. "Plus you smell."

Shiki takes a good look at her body, inspecting the damage Neku presumes, and contorts her face in a disgusted gasp. "Uhg. Need a bath."

"So you can swim in your own filth." Is what the orangette would have said if he hasn't already passed his speaking limit for the week.

The girl doesn't move for several minutes while fidgeting nervously, taking several glances at the taller teen. Neku sighs and puts ask, "Are you going to just stand there for the next two hours", in an annoyed tone.

"Uh... I- I know this is weird to ask since we don't know each other at all but can you come with me to the girls locker room?"

"Seeing as I'm not the owner of a vagina I don't think I can or want to."

"No just... Stand by the door and makes sure no one walks in. S-stop them if they try."

Neku looks at her in contemplation for a second and nonchalantly shrugs his shoulder. "Screw it. I got nothing better to do for an hour then sit next to Josh as he talks about random shit. Let's go." He orders in the most deadpan way possible, lazily walking to the end of the hall.

"The girls' locker room is the other way." Shiki shouts behind the departing teen.

"No it's not."

* * *

He really doesn't have to be here leaning against the front of a filthy perfume smelling door but it's better than the alternative. The blue eyed teen calmly relaxes his body and turns up the loud volume of the music with his right hand as he watches the quickly raising sun from the glass ahead of him. Whoever decided to put the door to the girls' locker room across from a clear wall is an imbecile.

Soon enough students gradually start to enter. Chatting away they're stupid problems and not getting to class like they're supposed to. Neku can feel his pale arms twitch uncomfortably as the crowd walks too close for comfort. "Just blend in and don't draw attention. Don't look. Don't listen." He chants in his head as old habits are drawn out.

"Like Omg. Did you see Kiryu-sama performance the other day."

"He' soo talented. Like Prince!"

He tightens his headphones.

"So he comes up to me and says, 'You're venom, baby, and I've contracted your poison.' What is that!? A compliment? A put-down? I don't know what to feel!"

Cerulean eyes hide protectively behind his pale eyelids.

"I'm so happy! The guy I like said something nice about me. 'Kids and pets must love you.' Hee hee! Wait a sec, what about GUYS!?"

He attempts to pull his collar up to hide his face to but his hand hits empty air.

"Aieee, so nervous... I hope the movies was a good idea. What if she doesn't like the movies? Or what if she doesn't like guys who can't make up their minds?"

He flips his bangs over his face.

"I can't get her out of my mind... How am I supposed to concentrate on work when I've got it this bad? Oh! Maybe it'd be easier if I just broke up with her!"

He shoves his boney hands on the pockets of the black pants and lean his head down.

"Neku! Is something blocking the door? I can't seem to get out." Oh shit he forgot about the bi-polar girl he is on lookout for. He presses the sole of his striped sneakers forward and kicks himself off the platform gracefully before she opens the chestnut colored door.

"Thanks." She hug her large purse in her arms with the head of the cat sticking out. The newly showered female tugs the shorts of her red summer gym uniform down frantically as she looks at the much more exciting floor. The two walk to first period, dodging people too busy to move out of the way side busy side. It seems like this chick is determined to stay by his side for some reason. Constantly running into her and having something in common might have something to do with it but it's getting uncomfortable with the brunette constantly bumping in his side.

"Uhhh...Sakuraba-san... I- I ...need to ask you something." Neku hears from behind him as something pulls the ends of his shirt. The pair turn around to see a girl with short black hair, very similar to Shiki's hairstyle, and a jacket tied to her waste shyly clutching the end of the black blazer. As if it's an automatic response he lifts his scrawny arm up to the white MP3 around his neck, turning the volume soft, before nodding his head in acknowledgement; not showing any emotion on his face.

"I-I'm..m..I'm Mina, I'm in orchestra with Kiryu-sama an- and I was hoping you could tell me his birthday." She says shyly but grows more confident near the end.

Blue eyes turn to look at Shiki with a stupefied expression, who is doing the exact same thing, before the brunette voices the obvious question of, "Why don't you go ask him yourself?"

Mina, who looks absolutely offended at the two, huffs. "Well me and some other friends of mine went up to ask him but he just kept avoiding the topic."

"Yeah, that sounds like Josh." Neku sighs tossing his head back as he scratches behind his neck. "Sorry, his birthday already past."

"What! Oh man." The raven haired girl cries walking away.

The two turn back to their original goal of walking to literature together, Shiki staring oddly at Neku along the way, when the female just had to open her fat mouth. "So does that mean Kiryu-sama is seventeen? That seems a little old for a second year?"

"Of course he's not that old. His birthday isn't even around summer."

"Then why did you s-"

"Girls are always asking me to tell them shit 'bout him all the damn time so I say that to get 'em offa my back." The red headed teen explains rolling his eyes.

The muddy brown eye girl looks at the red head disappointedly and crosses her arms. "Then tell them the truth instead of lying to them so people will stop asking."

"That just makes them ask what kind of gift he'd like and bother me even more when I tell them."

"Oh, so you have tried that." She sticks her thin bottom lip out and looks up looking as if she's turning the gears in her head a little too much. "Maybe if you try being cute people will do what you say."

Neku rolls his eyes at the brunette and states, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

To be honest, the idea didn't sound as farfetched as he's projecting it to be. With the shallow society they live in of a person was drop dead gorgeous they could get away with anything they want. How do think Joshua gets away with late homework all the time? But Neku is certainly not one of those people.

"It can work! I know it can!" She encourages putting her thumbs and forefingers in a square shape as she jumps in front of the scrawny teen. "Yes! It can totally work. With that face of yours, you can bend any person to your will."

"One: that's creepy. And two: what's with my face?" He asks as unemotional as ever, clearly not liking where this is going.

"Just pout a little, some pre-tears, and a tiny nervous blush your set for life!"

"Yeah, sure. I'll keep that in mind next time I wanna look like a weirdo." He scoffs sarcastically with an eye roll.

"Plus you'll get to surprise your friends and they'll be all like, 'Oh emm gee! Neku I like never knew you could be so ceeeeuute! YES! Yes I can see it now!" Shiki gleams leaning closer to the scarlet hair boy's face.

"If I had any friends that spoke like that then they wouldn't be my friends." He iterates fighting the urge to of another oncoming eye roll.

With a loud smack his pale complexion is in the possession of sharp filed nails, their faces so close that he can feel the cold of her black metal glasses radiating off her circular frames. Now under normal and sane circumstances he would push her off and get the hell away but the firm glower in her narrow cherry wood eyes says otherwise. Shiki's claws dig into the sides of his face and frowns her lips slightly before turning up into a pleased grin; Neku can just see the neon rainbows and radioactive unicorns glowing out of the passionate expression. Swiftly she shoots her hands into her green purse and takes out a smaller pink D&B bag filled with cosmetics of all kind: eyeliner, lipstick, concealer, blush, mascara, foundation, and other stuff his never seen in his short fifteen years of life, he's already disappointed in knowing what he knows.

The dark brunette grabs a container of blush, dabbing it on the rosy color, and putting close to his face. Panicky the ginger bounces backward and puts boney arms in an X- formation to protect his face. "What do you think you're doing?" he ask cautiously frantically looking down at the container in her hand.

With a sparkling predatory look in her eyes Shiki glares at the boy to lower his defenses so she can apply the…formula upon his face. "I have this been stricken with inspiration and I am** not **letting it slip away because you're too much of a pansy to put on tiny bit of red."

And then she attacks.

* * *

"Neku…" his ashen blond companion articulates judgmentally leaning next to him, most likely adorning the most sinister smirk imaginable. "Are you wearing-"

"Not another word Josh. NOT. ONE. WORD." The scrawny teen threatens flipping off his friend as he avoids being in view of anyone as he stares out the window on his left in the back of the room to hide his constant eye rubbing. For some damn reason the schoolgirl throw some powdery crap in this blue eyes causing them to itch like crazy, he thinks that some of the god forsaken stuff got into his mouth.

Of course this is the time the teacher picks to come sauntering into the room. "Attention, all yoctograms!" The intimidating appearing young man shouts through a shiny microphone in his tan hand, "You zetta morons have better have your homework completed or else you'll be subtracted from the equation!"

In one loud synchronize groan the student reach into their backpacks for their assignment, Joshua's sounding the most irritated. Neku hesitantly reaching in his knapsack for his half completed work, praying to the omnipotent being up there that Mr. Minamimoto doesn't notice it as he passes by to collect his packet. As the teen sets the packet on the maple desk he feels glowing yellow eye instructor glares down at the teen for a moment before asking, "What the factor is wrong with you radian?"

Neku refusing to look at his insane teacher in this state, bites his bottom lip and continues to be more immersed with the pattern of the wood on his desk than his teacher. "W-what do you mean sir?" He asks nervously, chocking on the powder.

"Look me in the eyes when I'm talking to you hectopascal!" Abruptly, the grey hair man yells as he grabs a lock of spiky red hair to pull his head up to face his teacher.

Neku can hear the grouchy class go silent enough he could hear a pin drop. "Damn it I must look like an idiot." He thinks as he adverts his eyes away from shocked cat like orbs.

"Why the heck are you crying Sakuraba?" the man asks taken back slightly at his most apathetic student shedding tears. Cerulean eyes narrow at the teacher and explains that he's not crying, he just has something in his eyes, but Mr. Minamimoto doesn't seem convinced. The black cap wearing man turns his head accusingly to the desk next to the red head and shouts, "Kiryu, what did you do to him?!" undoubtedly just finding a way to get the lavender eyed ten in trouble.

"What?!" the blond gasps, gaping at the teacher with a heated scowl. "What makes you think I did anything to him?"

"You're the only zero I see hang around him. You better fix this because I'm not having stupid teen drama in this classroom do you hear me!" the teacher command through his microphone directly centimeters away from the flawless face.

"Sho, I think that maybe you're the problem here yelling at all your students like trash. Anyone would cry at you're poor skills of being a teacher." Joshua replies crossing his arms, knowing using the teacher's first name would set him off to the boiling point.

With a menacing expression the teacher stomps out the door yelling. "I've had enough out of you radian! I'm reporting your behavior to Principal Konishi."

"I'll get out of it Sho, I always do~" the boy coos out as the black attire man is almost out of sight.

* * *

Neku ignores the yapping bipolar person next to him, still pissed that she embarrassed him in homeroom, as he eats his burger. He is battling the impulse to strangle the girl next because Joshua took several pictures of his teary face and save them to the accursed orange phone but doesn't since he didn't have to turn in his homework. He take a quick glance at the brunette and rolls his eyes at her yammering, not like he could even hear her seemingly enthusiastic voice with j-pop banging in his ears. During their lunch time on Thursday the school girl was speaking so fast about who knows what that the ginger was gaining a splitting headache just by looking at her.

"Shiki shut up." He bluntly states before taking a bite out of his burger.

The female next to him halts her flow of words with her mouth agape and most likely offended at the fact he gave her. "Well you don't have to be so rude." She clutches the heart seeming to Neku like she was having chest pains.

"Whatever." The teen sighs.

"Maybe you wouldn't be so grumpy if you took of you headphones. All that music is noise pollution." Shiki complains as she covers her ear, simulating Neku's own headsets. Neku glances her direction for a moment before returning to his mediocre meal. Peeved at his actions she swiftly grabs hold of the musical accessory atop of his head.

"NO!" Immediately Neku jumps off his black chair, causing it to fall backwards, gripping his headphones tightly over his head, trembling slightly at the action. Muddy brown eyes widen in shock as she reels her worked hand back to her sides. Seeing the tables around them pause to look at the tiny commotion the orangette quickly picks up his chair and sits back down and looking at the floor to hide his nervous blush under his tangle bangs.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" She clasps her hands together, bowing repeatedly, her light voice cracking in surprise.

"You better be." He glares at Shiki with anger before getting an idea. He knew it wasn't a great idea but it was an idea none the less. Let's see how she likes it when he takes her prize possession. Neku reaches his long arm towards the unidentified plushy, not bothering to think about its species, and rips it out of her skirted lap and far away from the apologetic girl.

"Let's see how you like it!"

"Mr. Meeeeew!" The ear piercing screech hits Neku in the face causing him much pain. "Please! Give him back, give him back!" She cries as she desperately reaches for the toy. The pale female "Oh shit she's actually crying." He thinks before throwing it back in her face.

"Don't ever do that again or I'll castrate you with my sewing kit!" she growls menacingly under her breath.

Wanting to get the female off the subject of unwanted forced surgery he decides to reluctantly indulge her comment. "You sew?"

"Yeah. See." The brunette cheers, holding he prized kitten next to her face. "I also make clothes"

"If it's sewn like your cat then I don't want to wear it." He unenthusiastically states as he take another bite of the cold burger.

Shiki pouts at his doubt the red head shows in her and raises her chin up high. "Well I promise you my sewing is a lot better now than when I made Mr. Mew."

"Y-yeah."

Neku continues to eat in awkward and eerie silence alone, occasionally glancing at the other, with new knowledge in mind. "Don't touch the cat." It's a subject he could relate to. Replace the broken stuffed animal with a pair of well-kept CAT design headphones and you got a similar story. The red head doesn't know or couldn't care less about her reasons but their attachment is the same.

Nobody is different or original. We're all the same in some ways.

* * *

**Ta-Da. Thank you for reading next chapter is soon.**


	4. Shopping should be a no touch zone!

**Told ya chapter four will be up soon!**

* * *

Neku lays alone in his tiny dorm throwing a red rubber ball against the oak door, as he to listens rap in his indigo headphones. His expression is what some would call a scowl yet if one were to look closer they would find the expression miserable. He just found out the hard way that Joshua's phone is connected to the internet. A particularly rough throw causes the sphere to ricochet off the door and straight onto the boy's flawed face, only adding to his misery. He harshly slams the ball on the door and stands up to the miniature kitchen in the corner of the room to grab something to quench his dry throat. On his way there he accidentally steps on a cheap piece of purple plastic; AKA his cell phone.

_3 missed text messages from Joshua!_

The phone flashes as he realize that he must have not heard the beeps through his loud headset. Picking up the cellular device Neku shoves it into his white short pockets, not even bothering to read the texts. The spiky haired teen opens the small black refrigerator to find a cold barren waste land. He sighs tiredly at the thought of going outside on a hot summer Sunday to go shopping for groceries but someone has to do it and it's sure as hell not going to be his roommate. The last time Neku let Joshua get the groceries he came back with only a large bag of instant ramen.

_Beep! Beep!_

"Damn it Josh." The ginger grunts finally flipping his phone open.

_Beep! Beep!_

Neku stares at his phone blankly before smashing it against the wooden kitchen counter in frustration. "This is abuse!" He thinks before he reads the most recent text message. Dull eyes slightly widen at the realization and relief at the caller ID. It's Shiki. After their first encounter and 'heroic' trashcan saving Neku finds that he and the girl became attract to the hip. Or as Neku like to call it; constant stalking.

She has followed to places from waiting in front of his dorm to walk him to class, much to the annoyance of this flaxen haired roommate, to taking his room keys and making a spare so he would never be locked out, one again much to the irritation of Joshua. That last one isn't that bad because now he doesn't have to call his roommate anymore about forgetting his key but it's still kind of creepy. The brunette has also broken his habit of eating alone at lunch ever since his first invite. The funny thing is that Neku doesn't find the girl a nuisance at all, aside from the accursed blush incident.

"Hey Neku! Wanna go into the city with me?"

He needs to get out of the cramp dorm anyways so Neku might as well go. The teen quickly texts back a positive response and walks out the dorm with only his worn wallet and phone in hand.

Neku walks out towards to the elevator when he comes across a familiar looking male lying flat in the middle of the hall. The boy's hands seem to be yanking a black skull beanie over his eyes and mumbling some satanic chant unbearably loud he can hear him through his headphones.

"Rhyme'sgonnakillmeRhyme'sgonnakillmeRhyme'sgonnakillmeRhyme'sgonnakillme!"

Neku isn't feeling up to meeting new people, who just so happen to be crazy, again so he chooses the most logical option; walking on them so he can get to the end to the narrow hallway. Truly the orangette is a master of smart choices.

"Ow!" The floor fetishist yelps, sitting straight up like a mummy out of a tomb, shaking his fist at the red head. "Watch it ya sonavabitch!"

"Wait, that guy telling me to watch it when he's the one sprawled across the floor like a dumbass?" Neku thinks as he continues to walk, not bothering to look back. He stops in front of the end of the hall as and pushes the single white button of the elevator when a strong hand clasps his shoulder. His pupils dilate with distress as old memories flash through his mind. His dry skin is not use to sudden physical contact from people say for Joshua, the boy who refused to mind the personal space he so comfortably sets. With lightning speed Neku turns around and punches the person in the face.

"Stop dat man!" The attacker says rubbing his sore cheek. "Ya gotta killa' punch fo' a stick."

"I have mace!" Neku panics seeing how beefy this guy look pointing a red spray bottle from his pocket at him.

"BWAAAAAAAAAAH! Jesus man! It's me! Daisukeno-Daisu- Da… Beat! It's me BEAT!" The blond teen retracts like he was being threaten with a rabies infested beaver while he covers parts of his face, away looking just as panicked as the bony male right in his line of vision.

The red head rushes through his memory for any profile that matches this tank in front of him but stops when the twin metal doors he handing noticed his back was pressing against opens causing him to fall back. The male who calls himself Beat runs into the elevator and closes the door before Neku could stand up again.

"Listen up phones!" The muscular teen commands already giving him an informal nickname. "It's me, Beat. I'm one of Yoshiya's friends."

Neku mouths a perfect O-shape as he stands up. He pull his headphones down to his neck and pushes the lobby button in the small box. "What the hell do you want from me?" He interrogates tightly gripping the mace to his side.

Beat scratches the back of his head with raised eyebrows appearing as if he's contemplating his goal. "Uhhh… I had somethin' ta ask bu' I forgot."

Neku resists smacking the palm of his hand to his forehead but halts due to the fact that the vain throbbing on it would pop. The sighs as he relaxes his fisted hands to a calm position before glaring at the muscular schoolmate in front of him throw his long bangs. "So you're tellin' me that you scared the living shit out of me for nothing?!"

"Hey! I wasn't for nuttin aight! I jus' forgot!" Beat justifies looking with his fist ready to punch Neku.

"MACE!" The red head warns as he lifts the bottle to the cerulean eyed assaulter. Immediately he retracts his offensive position to defensive, putting his strong arms over his face in terror. "Why in da Hell do ya hav tha'! You ain't a chick!"

"Because I don't know karate." The scrawny teen sarcastically replies, adding an annoying eye roll for effect.

A couple seconds past on the longest elevator ride in history when all of a sudden Beat shouts pumping his fist in the air, startling the poor shorter teen to death. "I got it! You kno' where Prissy is?"

"Why?" Neku says flatly with his back against the metal wall and crossing his arms.

"So ya do know!" The other occupant cheers pumping his fist in the air again at what seems like a tiny victory. "I jus' need ta ask 'im somethin' important."

"What." More states the red head than questions.

"Wait a minute! Maybe you could help me out yo!" Beat gasps looking to Neku like he has discover a life changing realization.

"I repeat. What."

"Look man, my sis really likes Yoshiya and I know you Prissy's main man so could you tell me what kind of chicks he into?" Beat pleas shaking Neku's shoulders frantically.

He focuses on the thug begging in front of him repeating the request in his head as Neku's insides are turning into a gross smoothie from being shaken. The red head's blank expression slowly morphs into a harsh glare. He feels elevator quake slightly before opening its doors. Neku looks at the exit then back at Beat and back at the exit before accomplishing what he believes is his own sense of justice for wasting his time and asking perhaps the worst question at him ever.

* * *

"You pepper sprayed him in the face and ran!" Scolds the girl smacking in her male companion up side the face with the accursed Mr. Mew. Bystanders stare at the pair from their bright blue tables in Sunshine Burger of Shibuya station.

"What the hell did you expect?" The ginger hisses, yanking the black cat into his possession and points at Shiki with it. "Did you expect me to be a happy ball of sunshine and gladly tell him a way to get his sister in Josh's pants!"

"Well no but why didn't you just deny him instead of burning the poor boy's eyes out!?" Shiki cries, hugging her stuffed animal back to her chest, glaring at the mace mauler.

"It wasn't even that much and he was like seven feet tall. He won't go blind."

The brunette sighs, deciding to drop the topic for now, and starts talking about what seems she finds the real problem. "Speaking of blind, I wish I was because just looking at you is making me sick."

Neku narrows his eyes slightly at the poor transition to his attire, not because he cares about his looks but because he's been hearing it for almost all week. "What's wrong with me?"

"Well you're rude, you're cruel sometimes, you're selfish, you never take off those headphones when I'm talking to yo-"

"No, I'm mean the way I'm dressed!" He hisses through his teeth.

"Your clothes; they're tacky and unfashionable." Shiki points out as she pinches the black tank top turtle neck with an indigo stripe running down the middle.

"Gods, you're such a girl." Groans the boy taking a bite of his burger.

"Oh I'm not done yet. Your hair is an unnatural mess, you don't seem to eat enough, and don't even get me started on your poor posture." Shiki points at Neku with her salad fork.

"Uhhrrg!" Neku groans tightening the speakers on his ears as he slams his head on the counter.

"My best friend Eri would totally know what you should-" The girl stops talking for a moment before clearing her voice. "Don't worry I can make you shine myself!"

The two finish their meals and walk out of the station. Shiki lectures Neku about the importance of being fashionable and the evils of Mus Rattus as they head towards the Scramble Crossing while he attempts to ignore her one-sided conversation with the help on J-pop from his headphones.

Neku's frail hands shove themselves into his pockets trying to his face behind the oversize collar with the goal of disappearing into the crowd. The people smarter around in aimless direction ignoring the traffic lights and cars in their way at times. Profanities and insults are thrown about strangers while teenagers and business men continue to absentmindedly forget the rest of the world. All so loud it can be heard through thick headphones sadly.

Shiki's green jacket seems to stands out among the crowd as she idiotically continues to chat with Neku even though he can't hear her. Brunette hair waves through the air when she twirls in front of the boy. Although it's impossible for his cover ears to listen to her he can see she's passionate in the little world she's stuck in. Halting her motions she trots back up to the black and white clad teen, insanely waving her arms over his face.

"Neku! Neku! Are you even listening to me?"

He sighs, not feeling up to pronouncing words at the moment. Shiki frowns in the realization that he wasn't paying attention at all. "I said that we're buying you new clothes!" Grinning like a moron the brunette tugs Neku away straight towards Cadoi City.

* * *

Shiki's will to make Neku fashionable and trendy is strong but Neku's will to not deal with the bullshit of Natural Puppy is much more desperate. Determine fingers latch on to one of the strong pillars holding up the buildings entrance while purple sneakers rapidly try to kick back the sharp filed nails trying to pull him inside.

"Stop being so difficult!" Shiki lifts most of Neku's light body off the ground when with the herculean strength of her arms around his feet making it impossible to hit her. Neku's signature headphones have fall to the sidewalk forgotten by its owner. "Neku, what in the world do you have against bright and clean clothing!?"

"It's not the clothes I care about." The orangette hiss hugging the white column.

"Well I'm gonna make you care if it's the last thing I do!"

The pair continue to fight valiantly both almost drawing blood from each other when a cough interrupts them. They turn to the direction of the cough to find none other than Yoshiya Kiryu staring them down with his arms crossed in all his expensive light blue shirted glory. "Well you two seem to be having fun." A pink haired girl runs up behind him, clearly out of breath, and puts her hand on Yoshyia's shoulder for support. "Yoshiya-san, I thought you hated this place." the other girl breaths out when she stands back up to look in the direction of which he friend is staring. "Shiki! You should have told me you were going to be here." The long haired girl cheers.

The two pairs keep looking at each other for a moment before Shiki decides that her original goal must be fulfilled. "See Neku, Kiryu-sama can be fashionable!" She tugs harder, more desperate even, on the legs succeeding in getting the distracted teen to lose his grip on the pillar. He falls in front of the indigo head phones with a large thump as the other pair walks closer to them. "Hey Josh…" Neku greets moving slowly getting on his feet, avoiding eye contact at all cost.

"Neku…lets go." He hears Shiki whisper after taking several glances at the female behind the flaxen blond man. She gently pulls on the side of his tank top, averting her eyes to the concrete below, urging him to start walking into the building. Neku glances back at Joshua a mere moment then starts moving away into the building. Anything to get away from him.

"Hey wait!" The rosy hair girl squeal running in front of the departing pair and grasping all their hands together. "Since we're all here we should totally go shopping together."

Neku notices the brunette bites her pale bottom lip nervously before she blurts out, pushing their hands apart hurriedly. "That's a great idea Eri!"

Joshua smiles sympathetically at the beautiful girl as he reacts gleefully to the suggestion. "What a wonderful idea Eri." The red head grits his teeth at the way the blond makes the brown eyed girl blush with that damn smile of his. That not a smile, that's a mask and a very good one at that. "What do you think Neku?"

"No." He answers putting his headphones over his ears. "I got stuff to do." Shiki grasp the yellow wristband on his left arm, covering it with her own hand, using her soft brown doe-like pleading him to not leave her alone. Neku withdraws his hand with in a panic and averts his gaze, knowing that look all too well; depurate. "B-but I guess I could stay." He sputters still in alarm at being touched.

"That's great!" Eri squeals jumping in the air. "Come on let's go to the fifty percent off sale at Le Grand! There's an adorable Cloud Nine scarf that I've been dying to get."

"In summer?" queries the indigo phone teen cautiously walking backwards into the building with Shiki on tow, irritation of the area shortly forgotten.

The green short wearing girl huffs at the question as she marches forward towards the red haired boy planting her feet sternly on the ground. "I bet you've seen girls where scarfs around their necks this time of year. It's like the trendiest thing now." She points staring down at him as she jabs his chest with her left pointer finger. Ow.

"Don't even bother. This boy here know nothing about trends. Why would I force him in here if he did?" Thanks Shiki. That's really gonna boost Neku's self-confidence here.

The rose haired girl stops her stabbings and stares at her friend, suddenly adorning a devious smile. "Oh. So were doing the old revamp strategy here." Oh god, he can see the evil dripping out of her mouth.

"Yep. Wanna help?" The brunet cheerfully suggest, stopping her backward movements, holding the red heads arm stiffly, making sure that her un-trendy companion won't make a break for it. Seeming relatively calm and open contrary to her previous demeanor. That is until Neku feels the hand slightly tremble against his skin.

"Sweetie, you know it!" Eri enthusiastically shouts charging toward the door with her hand in the air.

Neku pulls against the iron grip of Shiki weakly before groaning in defeat.

"Eri, I know that you anticipated this sale for quite some time but we are not going in Le Grand with Nekky-chan here." The amethyst eye boy states yanking the red head's shoulder and pushing him against his chest. Personal space always forgotten.

The girl shrieks gripping her yellow midriff hoodie in terror at the fact. "Ehhh!? Why not Yoshiya-san? It's not like we're forcing him buy anything?" Actually they are but that's beside the point.

"Let's just say that the owner and I...uh...have a history together." Neku whispers, looking away from the group with a furious scarlet blush on his pale face. Tightening his headphones he swings away from Joshua before raising the volume of the music.

Thanks to the blue eyed boy tendency to not make exposition his first language the two females had a different idea. "You two dated! I didn't know you swung that way." The glasses girl gasps covering her mouth with the black cat.

"Look. If it's too hard for you two be in there with him I completely understand." Eri wriggles her eyebrows, suggesting more with that statement than Neku catches on to.

"No!" He yells, shaking his fist in their direction. "We did not!"

"The fucker wished they did." Joshua grumbles under his breath with his arms crossed. It was rare when the blond use profanities but when he did it meant he was pissed~.

"EEHHH!" They gape in unison at the gorgeous teen in shock and a little curiosity to pack. "What did he do?"

Neku sighs, looking up as if to pray for mercy from some omniscient being, before he explains his begrudged troubles.

* * *

_Three years earlier._

Neku looks through the glass window of Le Grand with a bright fire kindling anew in his dull oceanic eyes. His smile was shining with anticipation, and the metallic gleam of his sapphire braces. The soles of his blue sneakers bounce up and down in pure glee as his fragile looking hands clutch a worn out black wallet in them. Neku pulls out the blue ear buds out of his head before peaking in the store for the nth time that hour.

"Well well well, if it isn't Sakuraba-chan." A snide voice coos at the preteen from behind. The fuzzy red head twirls around quickly to meet the familiar school yard menace.

"I'm not a chan! What the fuck do you want Kiryu?" The boy groans at the other, throwing his head back in irritation. Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu, privet dick extraordinaire. The love of the female occupants of the school and the pain in the ass for all the males. The pest also has a thing for annoying our J of M hero here.

"Aww. Kiryu? How formal Sakuraba-chan. I told you to call me Joshua. And here I thought you loved me." The fair boy mocks as he pulls the bottom of his soft wavy curls next to his left ear. His other hand pushes up his thin white framed glasses, most likely analyzing Neku much to his unexciting enjoyment. "So what are you going to buy there metal mouth?"

Neku scratches his left arm nervously as he looks at the ground consciously, not willing to admit the reason, he quickly throws a distraction together. "You never answered my question you asshole."

"Such foul language Sakuraba. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" He gasps in fake horror, holding a delicate hand over his mouth.

The braced boy frowns his brow in annoyance, tightening his grip on the pouch. "Don't answer a question with a question!" Neku shouts impatiently, waving a fist at the light blond male.

Yoshiya crosses his arms over his chest and raises his eyebrow; clearly seeing the diversion written all over Neku's face but gives in to the excuse anyways. "Well I just finished a lovely date with Ai-chan and decided to walk around Cadoi City to soak in the loveliness that is Shibuya when the glare of your teeth hit me glasses, stopping me in my tracks."

"Why are you here pestering me instead you walking your girlfriend home?" Now it was the gingers turn to mock as he uses infuriating finger quotes and swing his head side to side along with the sing-song tune of his voice. Suddenly feeling eyes staring at him from behind, he looks back to find no one.

"I did offer her an escort to her residence but she said she was fine on her own. I trust Ai-chan because that's what you do when you're dating someone. Something you would never understand." The teen replies as if he was stating the obvious. The orangette turns back to Kiryu, recalling his pervious question.

"The poor son of a bitch. He's not even aware that she doesn't even like him. Should I tell his about her not-so-secret crush on that high school first year named Makoto?" Neku thinks towards the snobbish teen who was giving him a superior look and decides, "Screw that. Why should I care? Let the bastard get his heart broken by himself."

"Yeah whatever. Now go away." He says, shoving the dangling ear buds in his blue shorts. Walking inside the simple looking store, hoping to God that Kiryu doesn't follow him.

Neku takes quick strides towards the front counter, ignore the feeling of eyes that bore into his back, and stretches on his toes to ring the customer service bell at the end of the brown table. The juvenile boy looks around the store cautiously realizing that nobody else was in the store. It was very late in the day and he didn't expect many people to be in the store. That was the whole reason he went here at this time but he didn't expect a barren waste land. He looks back once more to see that the annoying prick has left. Neku scrunches his brows nervously as he rings the bell again, the emptiness of the usually crowded store starting to freak him out.

"Hey cutie! What do you need help with?" A flirtatious voice asks behind the counter.

Neku turns back to see a man, most likely a late high schooler, winking at the young teen. His name tag says 'HT Masuoka'. He turn his head side to side, blue eyes searching for the unknown "cutie" the man speaks of. He slowly points a finger at himself in question but clearly it couldn't be Neku he's talking to. He hear the brunette chuckle playfully before clearing his voice.

"Do you see anyone else here?"

"S-sorry. I'm n-no-not cute." The boy shivers, tightly gripping his naked left wrist. Neku mentally screams to himself for sounding so weak. He shakes his head roughly and tries to sound more confident. "I-I want the Strong Heart, Poison Skull and Poison Bones pins you have behind you." Pointing at the colorful box in front of him with an emotionless expression upon his face.

"Sure. Here ya go hon." He says handing Neku the three pins, which he take greedily. "You know, if you also want some clothes I'll help you pick them out."

"No. It's fine." He tells the manager coldly. He just wants to get his pins and go. Is that so bad?

"That's a shame. And here I was going to throw in a free shirt too. Just because you look beautiful." The man hums softly leaning closer to Neku. Uncomfortably closer.

The thin child's already pale skin turns a ghostly white as he backs up carefully. Taking the correct amount of cash from his wallet, Neku slaps it hard on the wooden counter. "No. Really. It's okay. Here."

The man takes the yen from his hand, brushing his fingers over the red heads hands longer than needed, and shoves it in the cash register. Relaxing himself, Neku attempts to scurry out of the store and never looking back but a large hand on his shoulders stops him.

"Hey cutie, you shouldn't walking around Shibuya by yourself this late." The man stalls the boy turning Neku to face him. "There are some dangerous people out there you know."

"Yeah. I do. You're one of them." Neku thinks as he struggles again this pull.

"How 'bout I walk you home hon? My shifts just over anyways." The teen suggest softly, leaving his eyes on him. The touch becomes uncomfortably soft as the fingers leave a tingling sensation on the skin under the purple t-shirt.

"No! Now let me go!" Protests the boy as he fails to push Masuoka out of his way. Shivering at the way he was addressing Neku.

Right after Neku voices his plea another hand reaches out to tap the man from behind. To two pause to look back at the third party in the area. Neku immediately recognizing the figure. The lean body, the stunning purple eyes behind expensive lenses, the neatly pressed light blue polo, the way he announces "Sakuraba-chan!" in a voice that sound naturally sarcastic and snarky.

"Kiryu? What are you doing here?" He growls yet was simultaneously relieved that he showed up.

The blond in question shakes his head as tears gather at the corner of his eyes. "Sakuraba-chan, I-I thought I lost you." He sobs almost genuinely. Almost. After being around the dick, Neku can tell he's great at faking tears. That's also why his teacher never believes his side of the story.

Neku scoffs at the accusation, forgetting all about his earlier problem. "You didn't lo-"

"Thank you so much mister for looking out for my witttle Nekky here but we must get going. Our parents are waiting for us right outside the store." Yoshiya bows at the disappointed man politely, escorting a sputtering red Neku out the doors. After the two exit the white building the pin loving orangette comes to his senses and chews out the glasses teen.

"What the hell Joshua!? Why in the world did you help me in the most embarrassing nickname in the world?!"

Yoshiya, changes his vulnerable mask back to his regular calm composure, but leaves a livid scowls towards Neku. "So finally rapped your thick skull around the idea of calling me Joshua have you? It's about damn time."

"Shut up and stop dancing around a question for once!" The preteen shouts aloud, the spacers at the end of his braces stretching to a painful degree.

"Well if you must know Sakuraba, I find people like him to be, as you call it, a pain in the ass. Being the beautiful single air to Gaito that I am I unfortunately have to deal with scum like him." Joshua explains tiredly as he crosses his arms while walking in the direction of his house not bothering to look the other in the eye. Neku trots up to the boy, making sure he won't get left behind. "I highly doubt his type would stop unless you were with someone. I would hate to see what he'd do to you. The best outcome would be a grade-A perverted stalker."

"Of all the people I attract it had to be creepy perverts." Neku grumbles under his breath.

"Look. Just be glad you weren't molested and that I didn't have to tell your Koi-san to file a missing child report. I wouldn't want you getting hurt now." The ginger stares agape at the purple eyed teen, shocked at the fact Joshua helped him and that he didn't want any harm done to him, Neku opens up to thank him. "Hey Kiryu. I wanna than-"

"Plus if I didn't save you then I would have never have the pleasure of seeing you all flustered and blushing. Oh how I wish I had a camera phone." The crossed arm teen admits giggling at the ends of his confession, running faster to their houses.

"WHY YOU SON OF A-"

* * *

Neku finishes his tale of un-whimsical encounters and near pedophilia causing the two girls to turn their heads towards the blond teen. Honestly Neku couldn't tell if they were impressed of disappointed but really, would it even matter? "The end." Neku unceremoniously states clapping his hands together in front of the three before walking away towards the nearest convenience store. Before a sharp nails stops him.

"Hey wait a minute! Where do you think you're going?" Shiki asked, pulling his arm back to the group.

"To the convince store because I don't trust dips-shit over there to get groceries." He explains as he directs his thumb to the blond behind him, who seems to take great offence to that comment, before he continues to walk.

Shiki sticks out her lower lip and steps on his foot in a sporadic moment of fucking insane before dragging the injured Neku into the building into another natural puppy store, causing him to wonders how she acquired this gargantuan strength of hers. The red head was about to barge out the exit when her skilled hands confiscates the cylindrical music player off his neck. "This is so you don't go running off." The brunette goes running into the pink paradise, fading into her surroundings like a ghost.

Neku looks around the bright pastels of the store in an attempt to find his MP3 kidnapper yet finds that every turn he makes looks exactly the same as the last one he took. After ten minutes of practically wandering in circles he counts himself officially L-O-S-T. He hadn't to stop moving around like a sick puppy, the store owner is starting to give him strange looks.

Everything was just so pink and rainbow like that it made his eyes go all blurry. He'd be surprised if anyone can even tell each piece of clothing apart, they all look the same! Rubbing his hazy blues eyes lightly he tries to identify any recognizable figure to no avail. Come to think of it, he doesn't see anyone. "Didn't that Eri bimbo and Shiki say that Natural Puppy was trendy now?" He lived in Shibuya long enough to know that every popular brand store was filled to the brim in young adult females trying to commit genocide on other shoppers but this place is a barren wasteland.

Neku continues to walk around the area through the mazes to light summer attire until he spots a familiar black object in the short distance that contrast the tack of pink and white dresses accompanying it.

"Shiki? Is that you?"

"Huh?" The person who was defiantly not Shiki yelps, unless the brunette suddenly dyed her hair pink and gained a busty body. "Oh Sakuraba-kun! Thank goodness it's just you. For a second there I thought you were some creeper trying pick up young girls."

The red head, to off put by her position of the pig thing to really be offended by her comment, pokes at the pig before asking of its owner's whereabouts. "Uhh... 'kay. Why are you holding Mr. Mew?"

"Oh, well that's because Shiki asked me to hold him while she was looking at dresses." She explains, holding the toy like a proud solider. "I guess it looks odd for me to be to be holding him to you. But it's a-okay because I'm the only one she trust to keep him safe." There must be something wrong with you if a person acts like it's some sort of great honor to be holding a stuffed animal, Neku concludes. If only she was also holding his MP3 player.

Eri fidgets uncomfortably next to him, making Neku believe she must really need to go pee, until she opens her mouth to speak. "Don't worry! When me and Shiki are done with you, you'll be totally the most trendy person in school." Clearly she has forgotten the concept of the school uniform.

"This place seems pretty empty for a trendy store." Neku scoffs looking anywhere but her direction.

"Well that's because it's not trendy yet." The pink haired girl comments, crossing her arms and pouting like a certain someone he knows.

"Really? Didn't you say-"

"I did say it's trendy but not yet. Shiki and I got a gift of knowing what's trendy before it is. So when it's in style we would be the first in it." The girl boasts pointing her thumb at her heart and boast about what Neku calls the most useless superpower ever.

"So you're trend hipsters?" He over simplifies, much obviously show through his monotone attitude.

"What!? Like no way. Besides those Hip Shake wannabes won't know what hit them." Eri remarks as if she just won the conversation.

"That's not what I ment-"

"Well it's good to see that you two are getting along nicely."

"Yoshiya-san!" The girl squeals in Neku's direction, causing his ears to literally bleed if it wasn't for his large headphones.

"Damn, this girl is louder than Shiki." He thinks, clutching his throbbing head, before turning towards Joshua. "And where were you?" Neku growls.

"Ya know, here and there, the moon and back. I could ask the same of you." The blond says putting his hands in this black jean pockets.

"I got lost in this fucking fru-fru happy hell hole." He states walking the exist sign.

Joshua sighs as he shakes his head disapprovingly. "And where do you think you're going?"

"I'm getting out of this store before I go blind!" he exaggerates, throwing his arms in the air in defeat of nothing in particular.

"But we have to wait for Shiki!" Eri points out wriggling and pointing at the animal in her hand.

"Screw that! I'm not gonna wait while she dresses me in the most frilly clothing I've ever seen in my life!"

"Come on Nekky-chan," Joshua calls him, causing Neku to freeze his movement, knowing he hates the name with a burning passion. "I think you'd look lovey in this get up."

"Then why don't you wear it." Neku quips facing his friend.

"Nothing here would suit me." Said friend retorts with a disgusted tone, eyes practically rolling.

"I beg to differ, I think Kiryu-san would look just wonderful in this." Shiki jokes clutching a white sundress up from behind the group. Neku is starting to believe she might be a ghost. "This Lovely One Piece is made soooo made for you. It matches your eyes and it complements your fair skin." She ruffles the dress a bit to extend her point, snide smirk and snarky raised eyebrows included. With that said she holds the peace up to the surprised blond, most likely making sure that it fits him well, and turns to the boy on her left with an exciting gleam upon her narrow face.

"Uhh... Shiki-" Neku starts but was interrupted by a bodacious female

"No no no. You got it all wrong." Eri complains, examining the dress before taking it from the brunette's grasp. Her auburn eye scan the outfit as she re-slams it in front of the blonde's chest to see how it looks. "Sure white is his color but he must have the sun hat to give I'm the innocent look."

"I'm not innocent nor do I plan to be." Joshua grits his teeth as he roughly pulls the gown away from him and tosses it on the tiled floor.

"Oh come on Yoshiya-san, with you girlish completion and lavish hair you're sure to be the most innocent looking girl ever." Eri continues as she hands back Mr. Mew to its owner.

"Now you're just trying to emasculate me!" Yoshiya spits with the beginnings of a bad twitch developing on his eye.

If there's one thing Neku knows that can piss off Joshua the fastest its cheap shots about his masculinity. After a pun gone too far a couple years back he has learned that the feminine looking blond hates the fact he appears female at first glance and does not appreciate being treated like a girl. It also doesn't help that he has a naturally feminine giggle, something no man should possess, and flamboyant personality. People are just always assuming he's fine to dress like a chick.

"Look. He's already wearing Natural Puppy so he's fine." Neku says to the scheming girls females in hopes of calming the pisses Joshua.

Eri and Shiki stare at the orangette, seeming to Neku like their having a mental conversation in a language only they can understand.

"Your right." Eri states coyly crossing her arms.

"We haven't even started on you yet Neku!" Shiki squeals already pushing him in a dressing room that just happened to be nearby.

"What?!"

* * *

"I feel stupid." Neku comments to the brunette as she slip a light blue shirt on him then ripping it right off before the long haired girl hands her a different one for the millionth time.

"Well maybe if you smiled more than these clothes would suit you better!" She yells examining the piece in her hands. "Neku, take off your headphone! It hard enough to as it is to put a shirt over that mane of yours without them."

The brick figured female reaches for the indigo object adorn on his head yet the frail teen leaps off the bench of the cramped stall and onto the floor on a ball position, clutching his headphones tightly. "What the fuck did I say about touching the phones!?"

"Look Neku, I understand that you are very attached to your headphones like how I am to Mr. Mew but even I am able to put him down once in a while." She says softly to Neku as if she's encouraging a small child, going as far as to put a hand on his naked shoulder. "Just put them down and I promise to give them back later."

"No way in hell."

"Misaki-san, it hopeless. He practically married to those blasted things." An exasperate voice explains through the door, dripping with derogatory.

"What, does he wear those to bed or something?" Shiki chuckles, facing the door.

"Yep." Joshua answers popping the P at the end.

The girls giggle at information together making Neku start seeing red and loosening his grip on his headphones. "Shut up Josh! I don't wear them to sleep!"

"Oh really? Because I have pictures on my phones that say otherwise." He heard a phone snap open.

"Damn it! Are you taking pictures of me without permission again?!" The red head shouts standing up and pounding at the door frantically, Eri holding him back so he won't go outside shirtless.

"You'd never give me permission even if I've asked. Well 'Hey Neku, may I take adorable picture of you while you're asleep?' seems to teeter on the creepy side just a bit." Neku hears from his friend causing him to stand shock at the statement, the brunette taking the opportunity to remove the accessory and slip on a shirt.

"Of course it sounds creepy you pervert! When were you going to tell me this?" The skinny teen hollers at the door. Somewhere on the other side he heard the female manager squeak at the ferociousness of his voice.

"I just did."

"Can you stop being an a-Ahhhh! Shiki that hurts!"

"Keep talking. I'm almost done." She tightens a blue tie around his neck, nearly chocking him to death, and placing a cobalt hairclip with a black music note in his bangs "There." The two girls face him back to the mirror in the stall for him to take in the way he looks.

"Oh god, I look like dork." Neku smacks himself in the eyes, not wanting to look at the horror that is him in an innocent white polo and 'hip' brown jeans and a girly clip in his hair. When Shiki started to fumble in her bag for the all too familiar make-up pouch he snatched the purse way yelling profanities at her on how he never wants to experience that again. Defeated the girls walk out of the area, pulling the unwilling teen out the door, each taking one arm, where the ashen blond stood prepared with his orange phone.

"Aww~ Well isn't this adorable." He coos as the flash went off several times in blue eyes.

"Damn it Josh! I keep telling you to stop that." The orangette shouts as he attempts to take the device in hopes of deleting the picture.

But he was to slow for the older youth had already put the phone in his black jean pocket. "Nuh uh uh Neku. I keep telling you that I'm never going to stop. It's too enjoyable to see your varying expressions."

"Just wait till we get to 104! Yoshiya!" Eri gleams getting close to him. _Really_ close. "They here anyways so why not?"

"I've always adored your train of thought Eri-chan."

"Huh? What's at 104?" the original pair ask at the same time.

The closer duo stare at the blinking two before smirking twin expressions just promising pain. "And ruin the surprise?" they rhetorically ask simultaneously.

With the freezing shiver down his spine, Neku is starting to see why they're friends.

* * *

**I'd have better timing if I wasn't so lazy. I'll try and type faster. Anyways review and all that jazz.**


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